1Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers. He spoke with them and with all the family of his mother's father, and said,
2"Please say this in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: 'Which is better for you, that all seventy sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one man rule over you?' Remember also that I am your own bone and your own flesh."
3His mother's brothers said all these words about him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem. Their hearts turned to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."
4They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith. With this money Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men, and they followed him.
5He went to his father's house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he had hidden himself.
6All the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo. They went and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
7When they told Jotham about it, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He lifted up his voice and called out to them, "Listen to me, you men of Shechem, so that God may listen to you."
8"Once the trees went out to anoint a king over them. They said to the olive tree, 'You be king over us.'"
9"But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I leave my rich oil, by which they honour God and man, and go to be lifted up over the trees?'"
10"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come, you be king over us.'"
11"But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be lifted up over the trees?'"
12"Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come, you be king over us.'"
13"But the vine said to them, 'Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, and go to be lifted up over the trees?'"
14"Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'Come, you be king over us.'"
15"And the bramble said to the trees, 'If you truly anoint me king over you, then come and take shelter in my shade. But if not, let fire come out of the bramble and burn up the cedars of Lebanon.'"
16"Now then, if you have acted truly and honestly in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have treated him as his hands deserved -"
17"for my father fought for you, and risked his life, and rescued you out of the hand of Midian,"
18"but today you have risen up against my father's house, and have killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his servant girl, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother -"
19"if, then, you have dealt truly and honestly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then be glad in Abimelech, and let him also be glad in you."
20"But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and burn up the men of Shechem and the house of Millo. And let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo, and burn up Abimelech."
21Then Jotham ran away and escaped. He went to Beer and lived there, because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
22When Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years,
23God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem acted treacherously against Abimelech.
24This happened so that the cruel killing of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come back, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who helped him kill his brothers.
25The men of Shechem set men to lie in wait for him on the mountain tops, and they robbed everyone who passed by them along that road. And Abimelech was told about it.
26Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed over to Shechem, and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27They went out into the fields, gathered the grapes from their vineyards, and trod them. They held a feast, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28Gaal the son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?"
29"If only this people were under my hand! Then I would get rid of Abimelech." And he said to Abimelech, "Make your army bigger, and come out."
30When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, he was very angry.
31He sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying, "Look, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you."
32"So get up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field."
33"In the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and attack the city. When he and the people with him come out against you, then do to them whatever you find chance to do."
34So Abimelech and all the people who were with him got up by night, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
35Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. Then Abimelech and the people with him got up from their hiding places.
36When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the mountain tops." Zebul said to him, "You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as if it were men."
37Gaal spoke again and said, "See, people are coming down from the middle of the land, and another company is coming by the plain of Meonenim."
38Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your mouth now? You said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are these not the people you looked down on? Go out now and fight with them."
40Abimelech chased him, and Gaal fled before him. Many fell wounded, right up to the entrance of the gate.
41Abimelech stayed at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they could not live in Shechem.
42The next day the people went out into the field, and Abimelech was told about it.
43He took his people and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. He looked, and there were the people coming out of the city. So he rose up against them and struck them down.
44Abimelech and the company with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the city gate. The other two companies ran at all the people who were in the fields and killed them.
45Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people in it. He pulled the city down and sowed it with salt.
46When all the men of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they went into the stronghold of the house of the god Berith.
48So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees. He lifted it and laid it on his shoulder, and said to the people with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do the same."
49So all the people also cut down branches, each man his own, and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died too, about a thousand men and women.
50Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and camped against Thebez, and captured it.
51But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men and women and all the people of the city fled there. They shut themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower.
52Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it. He went right up to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53But a woman threw a piece of a millstone down on Abimelech's head, and it crushed his skull.
54Then he called quickly to the young man who carried his armour and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that people will not say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" So his young man ran him through, and he died.
55When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, every man went home to his own place.
56In this way God paid back the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem come back on their own heads. The curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.